Flash (31.10.2014 -22.2.2018) aka Flashy, Flashpot, Flashy the Pot, Flashpottery, Flashpoke, Flashpokerie, Little Flash, Little Scarface, Little Girl.
I go to a small Pet Shop in Clitheroe to top up on hay each week, and for many weeks leading up to Xmas there was a small Dutch Bunny near the door in the main shop . The weeks went by, and nobody bought her – soon she would be too large to be attractive to a casual buyer. My heart melted and so little Flash joined us in time for Xmas.
To acclimatise she started off on the sofa with me. Curious buns would jump up and sniff, and all of the males made friends with her -especially Max, in his kind hearted way. Beth ignored and tolerated her, while Misty and flash actually took to one another; Misty was a kind of big sister, and Flash adored her and so fitted right in. The only point of conflict was Buttercup, another female who gave her a slash on her little snub nose: hence “Little Scarface”. She learned to jump on the sofa when she was around and keep out of the way.
Flash was a real people bunny, and actively enjoyed human company. Any new or surprise behaviour on my part she would greet with a look of surprise on her little face, and then lick me profusely. She always returned strokes, pats and tickles with a returned display of affection, and loved to either laze in front of the fire, or sit in a bunloaf position of the sofa next to me, apparently watching tv. She was quite forward, and would approach new people hoping for a tickle or a treat.
One quirk of Flash was her propensity to play dead, and lie in impossible positions. All four paws in the air? No problem. Jammed in some awkward corner of a chair or sofa? Sure. Very amusing, and occasionally worrying.
If she had a fault it was that she ate like a horse – actively hogging the food of other and perhaps shyer (or more polite), bunnies and so careful placement of food trays was necessary. She quite liked the garden if it was warm, but was generally happier to sneak back inside and sprawl in front of the fire.
Another issue with Flash is that she would insist on sprawling in her cacomorphs – requiring often bottom shampooing, which she hated, but this couldn’t really be avoided.
In 2016, during Misty’s final months, she would sit with Misty and take care of her, grooming and keeping her company, which Misty really enjoyed. The following year she did the same with beth, making her peace with her and again Beth appreciated her efforts. Flash was a really nice bunny.
In May 2017 I took on a little dwarf black Lionhead called Ziggy -her owner, an elderly lady going into a home, needed a good home for him, and through a friend of a friend of a friend I ended up taking him on. He came with an indoor cage, a custom built little hutch (placed now in a corner for all to enjoy) and heaps of toys. He was obviously much loved and spoiled, but he had never met another bunny. He and Flash hit it off immediately, and became inseperable. Flash would lie on top of him, flop on him and generally loved him. The day before she passed away, even with her own issues, Ziggy was suffering from stasis and feeling very sorry for himself. Flash went over to him, and my abiding image of her is her sat next to him, with her white pay hugging him around the shoulder as if to say, “There, There: it’s alright Ziggy.”
Her general messiness led to an issue in late 2017 where her rear fur had to be shaved, and cream applied for some weeks. I overdid this and then spent a few more weeks trying to get rid of the caked dermasol cream through dry washing and gentle grooming. This was irritating for her rather than debilitating in any way, and didn’t affect her much really. But just after Xmas she seemed to develop a limp. The vet diagnosed some neurological issue, which could go any way: stabilise, go into some remission or degenerate. His advice was simply tlc.
As if this wasn’t worrying enough she got an infection in one paw I missed for a few days. Prognosis was good however, and it didn’t seem to affect her mobility. Painkillers and Baytril for a week, and on 22/2 I took her back in for a check. It was clearing up, but another week of medication was prescribed, and home we went.
In the evening I let Buttercup and Woody have a run in the front room, and so Flash and Ziggy joined me on the sofa as usual. All seemed normal except that Flash seemed a bit skittish – spurning any ear tickles and so on. Near 10.30 pm I put all the other bunnies away and cleaned. Before picking Flash up (I wasn’t taking chances forcing her to jump down) to return her to her favorite spot on the rug by the fire, I tickled her again, and this time she kissed me and returned my affection. Satisfied, I lifted her and placed her on the floor – and she shot off to the room divider gate as though her tail was on fire, becoming entangled in the hoover hose. I went over and picked her up, obviously distressed and put her back on the fireside rug – she stayed on her side and squeeked in distress. My heart plummeting I stroked her and soothed her, telling her I loved her. She calmed down, and I hugged her: she died. In less than a minute she had gone from a bunloaf position watching the tv to passing. In retrospect it was possibly a stroke or heart attack; either way, she had gone.
I showed poor Ziggy, and numbly and mechanically put Flash’s remains in a hay filled box for the morrow, when I would show the others and make arrangements. The next day, with me working at 6.30 am, was a day of numbness and awfulness.
Flash’s passing has hit me especially hard. She was only three years old and despite her current issues, it was simply not expected. She was also such a good little friend, and a generous and loving bunny, that my heart simply melts when I think of her. She did only good, and added a lot to my life and the lives of many of my other bunnies. Goodbye for now, little friend x x x.

From: SteveDate: 3/1/2018 1:22:48 AMMy friend Rachel said: "Sorry to hear this. Another remarkable bunny, with a strong personality, without whose affection there will clearly be a hole in your Warren. So young too. It sounds like she got comfort from being with you at the end. "